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Crisis Café in Newry is one of five community groups in Northern Ireland, who are calling on local people to help them secure up to £70,000 of National Lottery funding by voting for them in this year’s The People’s Projects.
Back after a three-year break, The National Lottery Community Fund and UTV have teamed up to give the public a chance to decide how National Lottery funding should be put to good use in their local area.
All five groups will have the opportunity to showcase their work from 15-18 May on UTV as they go head-to-head in a public vote in this year’s The People’s Projects to help them make an extraordinary difference to their community.
If successful, the Social Bytes project, run by Crisis Café in Newry, will create an informal drop-in space for young people to access digital technology, WIFI, mental health support and a free meal. Led by young people, the project will help them to learn skills, make friends and support each other.
The Social Bytes project will campaign for votes against the Carers Matter project by Brain Injury Matters in Belfast, the GROW project by Ashes to Gold in Coleraine, The Empathy Tentproject by Parenting NI in Derry/Londonderry and The UP! Programme by Replay Theatre Company in Belfast.
The People’s Projects is a partnership between The National Lottery Community Fund, ITV, UTV and the Sunday Mail, Scotland which gives the public the chance to have a say in how National Lottery funding is spent in their community.
The three projects with the most public votes will receive grants of up to £70,000. This funding will help make a real difference to people’s lives, particularly in these difficult times. The runners up will be offered up to £10,000 towards their project.
Paul Sweeney, The National Lottery Community Fund’s NI Chair, said: “We are proud to deliver vital funding to the heart of communities across Northern Ireland, particularly in these challenging times.
“Thanks to National Lottery players, The People’s Projects is a fantastic initiative that showcases the incredible efforts of truly inspirational and hard-working groups, each delivering life-changing support to help their communities.
“We encourage the public to vote and have their say in how much-needed funding is used in their local area to make a difference to people’s lives.”
Voting opens at 9am on Monday 15 May and closes at noon on Friday 26 May.
People can vote only once per region and will need an email address or mobile number to vote*.Visit www.thepeoplesprojects.org.uk to vote, read the terms and conditions and see a full list of projects involved across the UK.
*For those unable to vote using an email address or mobile number, please contact your chosen project directly for a pre-paid postcard vote.
For more information on voting, please contact the freephone number 0800 197 8610.
The National Lottery Community Fund distributes money raised by National Lottery players, who raise over £30 million each week across the UK for good causes. Since it started in 2005, The People’s Projects has awarded around £45 million to over 1,000 good causes.
The five projects
Carers Matter by Brain Injury Matters - The project, which is based in Belfast and will work across Northern Ireland, will provide advice, training and support for carers of people with an acquired brain injury. Carers will be brought together to learn from each other, build a supportive community and develop their skills to better support their loved ones.
GROW by Ashes to Gold - The project, which is based in Coleraine, will develop an outdoor kitchen and run courses to teach the community to grow and cook their own food, save money and minimise food waste. Mindfulness walks will be included in the sessions to help people engage with nature.
Social Bytes by Crisis Café - The project, which is based in Newry, will create an informal drop-in space for young people to access digital technology, WIFI, mental health support and a free meal. Led by young people, the project will help them to learn skills, make friends and support each other.
The Empathy Tent by Parenting NI - The project, which is based in Derry/Londonderry, will provide a safe, welcoming space for men to talk and access support from others who have had similar experiences. The Empathy Tent will travel around Northern Ireland visiting community events, high streets and public spaces for easy access and to improve awareness of poor mental health.
The UP! Programme by Replay Theatre Company - The project, which is based in Belfast, will provide theatre performances across Northern Ireland for autistic and neurodivergent young people. The initial show, performed for one young person and their carer/guardian at a time, allows the audience to feel comfortable and enjoy the sensory and creative experience. After the first show’s tour, young people will help develop a second show which will also tour across Northern Ireland.
